Details emerge of how prisoner assaulted to death over $50 in QLD prison
Horrifying details of secret jailhouse transactions and violent inside gang deals have emerged as the final moments of a slain prisoner’s life can be revealed.
Rockhampton
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The underbelly workings of secret payments and inside gangs of a Queensland jail have been exposed in the wake of the death of an inmate.
The 31-year-old prisoner died after a gruesome assault at the Capricornia Correctional Centre north of Rockhampton on October 23 at 10.30am.
Unnamed sources claim up to nine prisoners were involved in the attack, which was allegedly over a $50 inside debt.
The man had been behind bars for just four weeks, and had three months remaining after facing court for drug driving and possessing drugs.
His lifeless body was found by Queensland Corrective Services officers who started CPR before he was transported to Rockhampton Hospital.
He died from his injuries the following day.
Multiple sources told The Morning Bulletin the prisoner was assaulted because he did not pay a “$50 land tax” to an inside inmate gang.
It is understood he was kicked in the head, and had a severely bruised face with his frontal lobe damaged. He was brain dead before he got to hospital.
The death is being investigated by detectives from the Corrective Services Investigation Unit, the Homicide Investigation Unit and regional investigators.
Nobody has yet been charged.
The assault took place in a corridor of the activities yard, which is a well known black spot.
The Together Union and corrective service officers have been campaigning for more CCTV coverage at the prison for years, particularly in the wake of the October 2021 riots.
This recent death marks the fourth death in custody at Capricornia Correctional Centre in 2022, however none of the other deaths were considered suspicious.
Ryan Clare, 43, was found dead in his cell on August 9.
A 62-year-old male prisoner died at Rockhampton Hospital on May 11 and a third, aged 79, also died at Rockhampton Hospital on January 14.
All deaths in custody are subject to a coronial inquest and the latest is still ongoing.
Inside sources say unrest has been rife at the prison, with concerns of understaffing due to many employees taking stress leave.
The Morning Bulletin has been told that on average, seven inmates are exiting the centre while 15 new inmates are entering.
“There are not enough officers graduating to keep up with the numbers,” they said.
Inmates involved with the riots last year have been going through the courts this year, with 64 inmates charged with one count of riot or mutiny – unlawfully damages/destroys/attempts to damage or destroy property.
The 16-hour long riots were described as the worst riots in Queensland’s history, causing $1.1 million dollars in damage to more than 300 cells.
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